Marcus Peters was benched in the second half after a personal-foul penalty Saturday. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times)

Washington coach Chris Petersen said it was an “easy” decision for him to bench star junior cornerback Marcus Peters in the second half after Peters drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

“I’m just not into stupid penalties,” Petersen said after UW’s 59-52 victory over Eastern Washington at Husky Stadium. “It’s not even an issue whether the guy’s going to play or not if they don’t conduct themselves right. If you don’t play like we want you play, you’re not playing. It’s not even a decision for me; it’s easy.”

Peters was called for the personal-foul penalty after Shaq Thompson had sacked EWU quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. on third down late in the third quarter. The penalty gave the Eagles a first down on a drive that ended in Adams’ sixth (of seven) touchdown pass of the day, giving EWU a 45-44 lead at the time.

Peters, projected by some to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft, is UW’s only veteran defensive back. He’s in his third year as a starting cornerback.

With Peters on the bench, the Huskies went with true freshman Sidney Jones and senior Travell Dixon as the two cornerbacks.